William hodge



ries.

ArsNT WILLIAM HODGE, OF UXBRIDGE, ONTARIO, CANADA.

CARRIAGE-TOP.

srncnrrcrurron forming part of Letters Patent No. 274,496, dated March2'7, 1883.

Application filed January 23, 1883. (No model.)

ments in Buggy and Carriage Tops; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

Myinvention relates toimprovements in that class of inventions known asbuggy or carriage tops; and it has for its object to provide simple andeffective means to enable a car-. riage-top to be adjustably inclinedforward and downward by an occupant of the buggy without necessitatingits being pushed forward or lifted from the rear without.

The invention consists in the attachment of the bow irons or plates tothe outer ends of upwardly'curved levers centrally fulcrumed to the siderails of the seat of a buggy, and the prop-joints sleeved on the endextensions of a fixed back bar or rail extending across the rear of theseat, connecting and formed with or removably secured to the back endsof the side rails, both levers having a locking-connection with the siderails, so that when the levers are released they tilt, thereby loweringthe outer ends, to which are attached the bow irons, and thus by acombined movement bring down the top and incline it forward to protectthe occupant from the weather, when so desired, without lifting the rearpart at the seat.

Figure I is a side elevation of a carriage top and seat embodying myimprovements. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail top plan view of a side railand lever for adjusting the carriage-top. Fig. 3 is a side elevation ofthe same.

A designates the seat; B B, the seat-irons; O, the side rails, to whichthe back bar or rail, D, is secured or -formed continuous with; E, thebow-iron plate; F, the bows; G, the side extension-joints; H, theconcealed joint, and I the prop-joints sleeved onto the ends of the backrail, which is fixed to the seat with suitable seat-irons, the most ofthese parts being of ordinary construction.

KK are levers, each fulcrumed at or near I its middle to the side rail,(3, said lever carrying at its outer endthe bow-iron plate E, which isattached pivotally thereto in the usual manner. The inner end of thelever is provided with suitable means for locking it to the side rail,which may be a projection, L,'on the side rail, entering a cavity in thelever, so that when the lever is depressed it will yield late'rally tospring over the projection and lock the lever in alignmentwith the siderail and support the top. The lever has an arc-slotted arm, M, betweenthe fulcrum and rear extremity, through which passes a binding-screw, N,entering the side rail, 0, so that by turning thereby doubly locking thelever, the slot and screw serving to guide the lever and prevent it fromwrenching at the fulcrum.

The prop-joints I are sleeved on the projecting ends of the back rail.Said prop-joints, working loosely on the ends of the back rail, allowthe rear part of the carriage-top to incline forward when the levers arereleased, whereby they tilt automatically to depress and throw forwardthe carriage-top, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, and by depressingthe raised ends of the lever the top will be lifted and drawn back, asshown by full lines, without being bodily tilted, as heretofore, andwhich manner of tilting caused the seat to be exposed to the weather.

claim is- I 1. The levers fulcrumed to the side rails fixed to the seat,and connected with the back rail, their outer extremities carrying thebowcarriage-top inclines forward without movement of the side and backrails, substantially as described.

2. The combination consisting of a carriagetop having the bow-ironplates attached to the outer extremities of tilting levers fulcrumed tothe side rails, and the prop-joints sleeved on the back rail, so thatwhen the levers are released from a locking-connection with the siderails the carriage-top drops at the front, and is thrown forward withouttilting, as de scribed.

23. In combination with a carriage-top, the levers fulcrumed to the siderails, each, having an arc-slotted arm working on a binding-screw thescrew the lever is clamped to the side rail,

Having thus described my invention, what I iron plates, so that byraising the levers the scribed, with the'levers having an arc-slottedarm and binding-screw, substantially as described.

- In testimony that I claim the foregoing as 15' myown I hereunto affixmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM HODGE.

Witnesses JAMES JEWETT, RICHARD LUN'D.

